NEW YORK — Charlie Ward's son must think Daddy is some kind of scorer.
Ward brought his 11-week-old son, Caleb, to a game for the first time and turned in the best all-around playoff performance of his six-year career, leading the New York Knicks past the Miami Heat 91-83 Sunday to even their Eastern Conference semifinal series at two games apiece.
"I think he was asleep the whole game," Ward said, "but I'm just happy he was able to come and be a part of something special, not just for me but for my team."
Ward was actually part of something extra special, receiving a tribute from the crowd that few Knicks ever receive as the Madison Square Garden faithful chanted his name following a 3-pointer that clinched it with 36.1 seconds left.
Ward's career playoff-high 20 points included New York's final nine, and he added seven rebounds, four assists and three steals. It was just the third time all season he led the team in scoring.
Allan Houston added 17 points and Latrell Sprewell 16 for the Knicks, who led for most of the game and the entire fourth quarter.
Alonzo Mourning led Miami with 27 but missed four foul shots in the final 5 1/2 minutes. The Heat were also hurt by 19 turnovers.
Game 5 is Wednesday night in Miami, and Game 6 will be Friday at New York. Game 7, if necessary, will be in Miami.
In Sunday's other playoff games, Phoenix and Utah won to avoid being swept. The Suns beat the Los Angeles Lakers 117-98, while the Jazz edged Portland 88-85.
"We've got home-court (advantage) back, but that's the only good thing we come out of here with," Mourning said. "Somewhere along the line, we have to establish a level of consistency or else we're going to let this thing slip away.
"We can't hand them any gifts, and today was a gift."
Sunday's game was the highest-scoring of a series that has been dominated by defense and marked by long stretches of offensive ineptitude.
It was a nine-point game with 4:04 left after Ward hit a layup, but he failed to convert the three-point play to begin a stretch of three straight missed free throws by the Knicks that allowed the Heat one more chance to come back.
They might have done so, too, if Mourning hadn't missed one of two free throws with 3:39 left and two more foul shots with 2:28 left.
Ward made it a seven-point game on a driving layup around Anthony Carter with 1:51 left, then hit a jumper with 1:09 left and a 3-pointer to make it 91-81 — the biggest lead for either team since Game 2.
"I thought it was garbage points at the end," Carter said of Ward. "It wasn't the key to the victory. If it was his career high, congratulations."
Ward, the 1993 Heisman Trophy winner, was the only member of the Knicks to score in the final 4 1/2 minutes. Playing his 53rd career playoff game, Ward surpassed his previous postseason best of 15 points against Indiana in 1998.
SUNS 117, LAKERS 98: The Los Angeles Lakers should be thankful they have the homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs.
Their life on the road has turned downright ugly.
After playing the Lakers close in the two previous games, the Phoenix Suns routed Los Angeles 117-98 Sunday to avoid being swept from the Western Conference semifinals.
Still up 3-1 in the best-of-seven series, the Lakers can move on with a victory at home Tuesday night. First, though, they have to shake off a miserable performance that dropped their playoff road record to 1-3.
"The good thing about it is they have to come back to L.A.," the Lakers' Kobe Bryant said. "No matter what they do, they've still got to come back to the City of Angels, where we're very comfortable."
Jason Kidd had his first playoff triple-double, and Cliff Robinson scored a career playoff-high 32 points to lead the Suns. Rodney Rogers added 17 points and Penny Hardaway 16.
Phoenix led 71-48 at halftime, the most points scored against Los Angeles in a half this season.